I'm a photo editor for the Gemological Institute of America. The GIA is a non-profit research and educational institute based in Carlsbad, CA., where I moved in November 1999. We create course material for our gemology students, artists and jewelers. We have schools in Carlsbad, Los Angeles, New York, London, Florence, Bangalore, Seoul, Tokyo, Bankok, Hong Kong and soon Dubai.

I am a graduate of Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, with a bachelor’s degree in social welfare. I also have a master’s degree in journalism, with

emphasis in photojournalism and graphics desk management, from the University of Missouri - Columbia.

I have worked as a photojournalist for over 14 years. I began as a photographer for the St. Joseph, MO., News-Press and Gazette, the oldest newspaper West of the Mississippi. I worked there for about nine years. I also worked for two and a half years at the Grants Pass, OR. Daily Courier.
I grew up in Salem, Oregon and I've worked and lived in four states and three provinces of Canada.

I enjoy reading science, history, politics, theology, philosophy, mysteries, science fiction – anything challenging which might grab my attention. When I was growing up in Oregon, I used to spend a lot of time in the mountains camping and fishing.

While I was living in Canada I got hooked on still photography. I was given an autographed copy of Ansel Adams' Yosemite and the Range of Light for a Christmas present in 1980. It opened my eyes to the expressive potential of photography.
Since then I have always wanted to be involved in serious photography - no matter what form. And the rest is history...

Still photography has a power unequalled in many ways by any other medium. It will always be important for me to get out with my camera and capture still images, as a record of what I see.